The Delta independent., 1887-06-07
found the body of one of nv men.

Which seemed at first to bo only walls
The huts of the Kabyles. built without
windows, are anything but light, but
when my eyes became accustomed to
the obscurty of the chamber. l dis
covered the other, also cor pse, lying
at the foot of an enormous terra-cotta
jar. where he had evidently been kill
ed by Il shot striking HIM full in the
face. They carried him away with the
others, and, delighted at having finished
my duty, | followed them out.
Suddenly us l crossed the threshold,
there was the sound OF pistol-shot
seemingly fred behind me in the inter-
ior of the hut we had just left. My men
rushed in again. and upon the floor. at
the foot of the jar where they had but
n moment ago found the body of their
comrade, they discovered their Sergent
lying in a pool of blood. which oozed
from wound in the brow made by
ball. Such thing as this was mex
plicable, for no one was in the hut
when we entered it short time before
and no one was in it then.
':All at once. us / stopped 10 examine
the body, there was sudden commo-
ton, wild outcry, and the terra
jar was laying on its side. deluging
the floor with waves of oil, and throw
ing on his face IN SCRABBLE rascal of a
Kabyle who held in his hand II danger
GUS looking pistol. the same undoubt-
ly with which he had killed the SER
geant as he approached his place of
concealment. Finding himself in close
quarters again he had made dash for
liberty, but
THEY BEAT HIM TO DEATH.
With the but ends of their muskets."
As the General stopped moment to
light fresh cigar his wife rose from
her seat and quietly re-entered the
salon, having frequently heard the story
before it was natural that sha would
weary of its sin ster detail.
Her husband watched her rs she van
ished within, then imperturbahly con-
tinued:
"rhe appearance of this ras-
cal upon the scene explained every
thing. Taken unawares by the ap-
proach of my scouting party. the
Kabyle, not hav ng time to fly had con-
cealed himself in this monstrous jar.
used by his race for storing oil, of which
they consume an immense quantity.
There. plunged in greasy fluid half
way up his body. he had waited, pistol
in hand. ready to blow out the brains
of the first one who would venture to
show his nose at the opening of the jar.
and the Sergeant had also been taken
in the trap.
.'The skin of this fellow had cost us
more than it was worth. but he would
murder no one else, and it now only
remained for us 70 return to the
bvouac.
My Lieutenant" cried the Corporal
at this instant; "my Lieutenant. some
thing moves over there;' pointing to q
dusky corner. "Something is crouch
ing there!' And the man was right
something was there, but it was moth
ing behind which an assassin might
conceal himself. And now." said the
General, with smile, II will give you
q thousand guesses to divine what l
saw-what found--a little girl, SIX or
seven years old, clad in trousers of
silken stuff, chemisette of gauze,
skull-cap of velvet, embroidered with
sequ MS. and as beautiful as an angel.
She neither cried nor sought to escape
as l approached her nearer. but on the
contrary
HELD OUT HER LITTLE ARMS,
All loaded with silver-bracelets. l lift
ed her Ike a feather, and carrying her
to the light. showed her to my men.
They were not tender nor soft of heart,
those tired and battle-stained soldiers.
but she smiled upon them with such
conliding sweetness that they cried out
in chorus: Take her to mother Cham
poreau; she loves the little midgets
dearly" And the men advised me
well, for Mother Champoreau. the Can
tinere of our company, was a faithful
SOUL who had seen fifteen years of con-
slant service and twelve campaigns
Never consoled for the loss of an only
son killed at the taking of Algiers, she
would care for the little one kindly.
With the child in my arms re-
turned to the bivouac of the company.
was well received by my comrades.
delighted to pay court to our new ac-
QUESTION. For her part, she was in no
wise intimidated, only, as she did not
know word of French. tho services
of the Marshal's interpreter were
called into requisition, and she soon
explained to him that she was not
Kabyle which we knew before, but an
Arab child by the name of Baia. Her
father, man of high rank, for there
are mobiles there as well as here. had
been sent on mission TO the Flissas by
the Emir Abd-el- Kadcr, and she did
not know what had become of him in
the battle we had gained. She had hid
den in the corner of the hut where we
had found her, afraid to move or cry.
1.-The next day, as the father of the
child had been
FOUND AMONG THE DEAD
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